Sunday, August 9, 2015

Daily Christian Reflection

The secret to obedience is given to us in John’s Gospel, whenJesus teaches that he is the vine and we are the branches. Our lifedepends upon remaining part of him—which we do by beingobedient to his commands and partaking in his Body and Bloodoffered in the Eucharist. John in his letter says that we can tell ifwe are “abiding” in Christ by our actions: Are they Christ-like?The power to be like Christ, of course, comes from dying toourselves and allowing Christ to live within us. This requiresmore than simply listening to or parroting the words of Christ;this requires a complete abandonment to him.

Every day the official prayer of the Church begins the sameway, by praying Psalm 95: “Come, let us worship the Lord,”echoes the refrain, inviting us to see our Savior, our Creator, theGod to whom we belong. With the invitation comes a warning:“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”